CANMORE, Alberta — A wolf with a global positioning system device attached to her neck has documented what wildlife biologists have long known: individual wolves often travel long distances when looking for a mate, new hunting prospects, or both.

In this case, the wolf, an adult female, traveled 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Jasper National Park before being killed by a trapper near Sheridan Lake, B.C.

Even more amazing long-distance trotting was documented in recent years when wolves that originated in the Yellowstone ecosystem wound up in northern Colorado, one just west of Denver and the other near Beaver Creek and Vail. In the latter case, a global positioning device documented a travel of 450 direct miles (724 kilometers), although wildlife biologists estimate the wolf actually covered 1,000 miles.

Wolf expert Mark Hebbelwhite told the Rocky Mountain Outlook that such journeys illustrate the importance of connectivity between ecosystems.

“This very day, there could be a wolf dispersing through the Canmore corridors from Banff to Yellowstone, and we would never know because the wolf passes through town overnight and is gone the next day,” he said.

But in Wyoming's Jackson Hole, exactly the opposite problem was evident. There, three wolves had an affliction called the mange, a parasitic infection of the skin that causes the animal to scratch their hair off, leaving them exposed to the elements.

The wolves, federal officials tell the Jackson Hole News&Guide, have been hanging around people's houses. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a permit to the landowner to use rubber bullets to shoot at the animals, in an attempt to drive them off.

Rubber bullets, as a non-lethal deterrent, have been used for 10 years with mixed results.

Sheep rancher ordered to pay for attacks by dogs

PARK CITY, Utah — A sheep rancher who used dogs to protect his livestock from predators has been ordered to pay restitution. In one case, a woman was bicycling near The Canyons when she was bit on the butt by a sheep dog. In another case, just a few days later, another bicycle rider, this time a man, claims his pet dog was attacked by a sheep dog. The Park Record reports that the sheep rancher was ordered to pay the woman $260 and the man $303.

Meetings' business down in Whistler

WHISTLER, B.C. — Whistler has been offered free meeting space to those putting on conferences, reducing transportation costs from Vancouver, and dangling yet other incentives.

Still, the conference business has been down in Whistler. On average, conferences generate 52,000 to 54,000 room nights.

Karen Goodwin, director of sales at Tourism Whistler, said conferences may be steering clear of Whistler because of the upcoming Olympics, assuming it will be too busy or chaotic in the midst of last-minute preparations. But the weak economy is the largest story, she told Pique Newsmagazine.